Drivetime

Nkandla: The Plot Thickens

As the African National Congress (ANC) attacks the Public Protector accusing her of having no faith in Parliamentand showing bias, Thuli Madonsela has thanked the nation for supporting her office and strengthening democracy. Madonsela has sent President Jacob Zuma a strongly-worded seven-page letter demanding to know when he will pay…

25 Aug 2014 10AM 9 min

Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry

The much-anticipated findings of the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry will be handed over to Western Cape Premier Helen Zille on Monday. The commission was established by Zille two years ago to investigate complaints about police inefficiency at three police stations in Khayelitsha and the breakdown in relations with the police…

25 Aug 2014 10AM 8 min

70 ISIS members killed

At least 70 Islamic State militant fighters have been killed in 48 hours of clashes with Syrian army troops in the northern province of Raqqa, a monitoring group said Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS had launched a major push late Tuesday on Tabqa military airport, the…

22 Aug 2014 11AM 17 min

GOTG: Restrictions imposed on Gaza mission

Relief group Gift of the Givers says it will only be taking specialist doctors and surgeons to Gaza following restrictions imposed by the Egyptian government. Gift of the Givers received permission to cross into Gaza through Egypt's side of the Rafah border post and is expected to leave on a…

22 Aug 2014 10AM 7 min

Wits hosts discussion on media diversity, ownership & transformation

Wits Centre for Diversity Studies hosted a round table discussion on media diversity, ownership and transformation. The panel included Prof Anton Harber and Dale McKinley, Gauteng coordinator of the Right2Know campaign. The main idea that came out of this discussion is that “diversity in newsroom demographics, management and ownership is greater…

22 Aug 2014 10AM 7 min

Free Book Friday: The Thunder That Roars.

The Thunder That Roars is the book featured in today's Free Book Friday segment and this book is definitely one for all ages. It is the debut novel of SA born, Imran Garda that takes you from the suburbs of Johannesburg to the streets of Bulawayo, from Dubai airport to…

22 Aug 2014 10AM 20 min

Syria: One Year On, No Justice for Chemical Attacks Victims

Today marks the first anniversary of the deadliest chemical weapons attack in 25 years, which killed hundreds of people, many of them children, in Ghouta, Syria. Yet justice remains elusive for the victims.

21 Aug 2014 11AM 16 min

Gaza

Israeli airstrikes killed three senior commanders of the armed wing of Hamas early Thursday in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, Israeli and Palestinian officials said, the most significant blow to the group’s leadership since Israel’s operation in Gaza began more than six weeks ago. As the death toll…

21 Aug 2014 10AM 9 min

Ahmed Kathrada turns 85

Ahmed Kathrada, has fought his whole life to rid the world of racism and prejudice. It should come as no surprise then that he planned to spend his birthday with children in Lenasia. It’s not an unexpected way of looking at the meaning of life for the hero who today…

21 Aug 2014 10AM 8 min

South African Civil Society Meet SA President Jacob Zuma on Palestine

Representatives from South African civil society, trade unions and the ANC Youth League met with President Jacob Zuma yesterday, at his official residence in Cape Town, Genadendal. The 90 minute meeting on Palestine was convened in response to growing protests by South African civil society across the country including a…

21 Aug 2014 10AM 14 min

Iraqi Ambassador on ISIS

Staying with ISIS now as we discuss how the Arab world has failed to come to terms with the most grievous threat it has faced since Saddam Hussein led Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait two decades ago. It has preferred to ride on the coat-tails of outsiders while castigating western “inaction”…

20 Aug 2014 11AM 20 min

Outrage as US journalist beheaded by ISIS

James Foley, an American journalist who had gone missing in Syria nearly two years ago, is presumed dead after Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants posted a video online Tuesday that it said was of his execution. It was not clear when the beheading video was recorded, but several…

20 Aug 2014 10AM 6 min

Gaza ceasefire talks collapse

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas (as well as other groups) in Gaza that had held for nearly an entire week was broken hours before it was set to expire after rockets were fired. The breach came as the two parties were in Cairo supposedly finalizing a long-term ceasefire that…

20 Aug 2014 10AM 10 min

Special sitting of the Russell Tribunal

The Russell Tribunal has announced that it will reconvene for an extraordinary session on war crimes in Gaza, in the wake of the Israeli military’s latest aggression called Operation Protective Edge, which has claimed 2000 lives. The Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RToP) is an International People’s Tribunal created by a…

20 Aug 2014 10AM 12 min

Are Hawks free from political interference

It's now up to the Constitutional Court to rule on whether amendments to legislation went far enough to ensure the independence of the Hawks and that the unit is free from political interference. The Western Cape High Court ruled in December that sections of an amendment bill were inconsistent with…

20 Aug 2014 10AM 7 min

Dealing with disadvantage

“Dealing with Disadvantage” is a panel discussion organised by the University of Cape Town’s Poverty and Inequality Initiative. It featured Dr Mamphela Ramphele, former politician who also served as Managing Director of The World Bank and Vice-Chancellor of UCT; Ms Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, former Deputy Minister of Defence and of Health;…

19 Aug 2014 11AM 6 min

How Israel undermines international law

Operation Protective Edge was not merely a military assault on a primarily civilian population. As in its previous “operations” (Cast Lead in 2008-9 and Pillar of Defense in 2012), it was also part of an ongoing assault on international humanitarian law (IHL) by a highly coordinated team of Israeli lawyers,…

19 Aug 2014 11AM 14 min

World Humanitarian Day

Today is the United Nations' (UN) World Humanitarian Day which honours all humanitarians who worked for the promotion of the humanitarian cause, and those who lost their lives in the cause. The day aims to increase public awareness about humanitarian assistance activities worldwide and the importance of international cooperation. This…

19 Aug 2014 10AM 8 min

Ferguson Protests

Since 18-year old Michael Brown was shot dead by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, community members have taken to the streets in protest. Between media reports and social media, conflicting versions of the situation have emerged. While online reports are suggesting violence by civilians, tweets by users are…

19 Aug 2014 10AM 16 min

Real life drama at the SABC

Drama and shock engulfed the SABC yet again as the public broadcaster's production company responsible for making Generations fired the entire striking cast of South Africa's most watched TV show. The highly lucrative show is the biggest money earner for the public broadcaster, making even the smallest tampering with Generations…

19 Aug 2014 10AM 16 min